Container



-March 16,?1926.

H. SEBELL CONTAINER Filed DeC. 18, 1925 l M v. 1 l

lnvno. Harry Sabe!! Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

HARRY SEBELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTAINER.

Application led December 18, 1923. Serial No. 681,340.

Containers, of which'the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to acontainer and the general object thereof is to provide a container which is very strong at its rim.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container which may easily and securely be sealed.

A'further object of the invention is to provide a container which may easily be opened by the consumer and which may easily, quickly and securely be closed by the consumer after a part of the contents has been used.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from thel following description and accompanying drawings and will be the claims.

The drawings illustrate in section, detail and elevation a preferred form of construction adapted for use in a container and embody the broad principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial section longitudinally through thecontainer;

Fig. 2 is adetail of the rim of the container showing the method of opening and one form of sealing strip;

Fig. y3 is a detail of the rim ofthe opntainer showing another form of sealing strip;

Fig. 4 is a partial elevatlon of the container showing one type of end for the sealing strip;

Fig. 5 is a partial elevatlon of the container showing another type of end for `thev sealing strip. y

Only such parts of the contamer as are necessary to illustrate the invention have been shown. As illustrated herein the container comprises a body 1 and a top for closing the container designated generally at 2. The end ofthe body of the container is bent at 3 to present a peripheral flange 4 lying. on the `exterior of the container and substantially parallelwith the body. The top. of the container is bent at 5 to present a peripheral flange V6 4which lits closely against and overparticularly pointed out in?" lies the body flange as illustrated in the drawings.

In order to securely seal the container a U-shaped sealing strip 7 is provided having parallel wings 8 and 9 for embracing the anges 4 and 6.' The sealing strip is of such a length that it extends entirely around the container and overlaps at 10. The wing 9, as illustrated, fits up in between the body flange 4 and the body l of the container and the other wing 8 of the sealing strip' surrounds the flange 6 of the top. The sealing strip, while U-shaped in cross section, may have various forms two Aof which have been illustrated. The sealing strip shown in Figs. 1 and 2has wings which are of equal length and kparallel with one another throughout While the sealing strip shown in Fig. 3 has the wing 8v extended at 11 partially to overlie the bend 5 of the closure flange thus providing a rim which is exceptionally strong v and on which the sealing strip is held very securely, but from which the strip may be readily removed. Both forms of the sealing strip, however, are U-shaped in cross section.

When the sealing strip is in position and the container is closed at the factory the flanges and locking strip' are vlrmly pressed against the body of the, container with all the layers of the metal parallel thus providing a very strong rim for the container but also one which takes very little space since there is no wide flange projecting from the -wall of the container. In order to provide a more rigid rim the top is made with a' depressed central portion 12 and a wall 13 which fits closely against the inner face 14 of the body of the container. Thus when the container is sealed at the factory and the rim is crimped, there are six thicknesses of metal at the rim of the container, namely, the flanges 4 and 6, the wings Sand 9 of the sealing strip, the body 1 of the container and the wall 13. 1

. A container havingthe bends 3 and 5 in the body and top thereof respectively and having a U-shaped sealing strip is very easy to seal. When the body and top of the container are stamped out thebends 3 and 5 provide grooves 15 and 16 and another groove 17 is provided within the U-shaped sealing strip. During the process of making the container these grooves 15, ll-and a liquid when it is put in the grooves but hardens as it dries and by so positioning the parts of the container and sealing strip, while the parts are separate and prior to assembling the container, that the flanges and wings point upwardly, the sealing compound is retained within the grooves and prevented from running out until it dries. When the container is assembled the top is forced into position over the body .and the sealing strip is put in position embracing the flanges 4 and 6. The sealing compound in the grooves makes an absolutely air tight joint at the rim of the container.

An important feature of the invention is the means by which the container may easily be openedby the person who uses the con tents thereof. In opening the container it is first necessary to remove the sealing strip. In order to accomplish this easily without the use of a can opener or other special tool, means are provided to enable the overlapping end of the strip easily to be withdrawn from around the lianges to start the removal of the strip. For this purpose a slot 18 may be out in the overlapping end of the strip so-that a sharp pointed inst-rument such as the prong of a fork or the point of a knife can be wedged under the strip to start its removal. If desired the Wings of the strip may be s read and the slot enlarged to provide a nger hold 19 which is then twisted to lie next to the body of the container directly under the sealing strip so as to take up no more space than does the rim.

In opening the container after the sealing strip has been removed it is necessary to remove the top and in order to enable this to be easily accomplished the peripheral flange 6 normally projects at 2O beyond the edge of the flan e 4. Thus when o ening the container a er the sealing strip has been removed all that is necessary is to press the edge 20 of the iiange 6 against the edge of a table 21 which will break the sealing compound in the groove 16 and start the removal of the top. After the sealing compound has been broken and the removal started it is a simple matter to lift the top entirely from the container. If it is desiredto close the container again after a portion of the contents has been removed the top is placed on the container and then may easily be driven down into position by a blow of the hand and when it is desired to remove the top a second time it is merely necessary to press theY edge 20 of the ange 6 against the table 21 again to start the removal 'of the top.

The body of the container may be and preferably is slightly raised at 22 to provide a projection which bears against the bend of the sealing stri to serve as an additional means for holding the sealing strip in place with the wings embracing the fianges.

.A container having the construction above described is extremely well sealed not only because of the number of grooves in which the sealing compound may be placed but also because of the number of lirinly contacting surfaces between which the contents of the container would have to pass before ir. could escape. When the top and body of the container are stamped out the bend 5 and the bend 3 are made of such a radius that when the parts are in position as shown in Fig. 1, all of the adjacent surfaces are in iirm contact with one another and press the sealing compound between them. When the container is assembled the top is pressed on the body with great force so that the convex surfaces of the bend 3 tightly lits within and bears against the concave surface of the bend 5. Thus when the container is completely assembled the contents in escaping would have to pass between the body 1 and the wall 13, then through the sealing compound in the groove 16, then between the flanges 4 and 6, then through the sealing compound in the groove 17, then either between the flange 6 and the wing 8 or between the flange 4 and the wing 9, through the sealing compound in the groove 15 and between the wall 1 and the wing 9. When the container has been once opened and then closed fthe contents must pass between the body 1 and wall 13, and then between the bends 3 and 5, and then between the flanges 4 and 6 in order to esca e. Thetop is firmly held in position on t e container after it has been once removed and then replaced by the frictional engagement of the wall 13 with the body of the container and by the frictional engagement of the iianges 4 and 6. In order to more lirmly hold the top in position the lianges 4 and 6 and other parts of the rim of the contalner may be made of metal having some spring to 1t so that the ianges 4 and 6 and the Cparte 1 and 13 press against one another due to the resilience of the metal.

Althou h a articular form of the invention has en escribed it is to be taken as illustrative only as many changes in the construction of the container, such as the lengthening or shortening of the edge 2O of the flange of the top or the edge 11 of the wing 8, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, desired that the invention be construed as broadly as the limitations inthe claims, taken in conjunction with the prior art, may allow.

Havin thus described the invention what is claiinel as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: y

1. A container having an opei top and a peripheral ange on its exterior at the top the container,

whichis parallel to the walls of the container but spacedl therefrom, a top for closing said top having a depressed central portion and ,an upstanding wall which fits Within theopening of' the container, said top having a depending flange extending from said upstanding Wall and fitting closely against the peripheral flange, and a removable sea-ling strip U-shaped in cross section extending around the container with one Wing thereof between the peripheral flange andthe body of the container and the other Wing surrounding the flange of the top, the flanges and sealing strip being firmly pressed against the exterior' wall of the container and the upstanding Wall ofthe top being firmly pressed against the interior face of said container.

2. A container comprising a body having an interior face and an exterior faceand presenting a. peripheral flange on the exteagainst the interior face of said parallel withthe body, container having a derior of the container a top for closing lthe pressed lcentral portion and a wall joining .extending from said wall of the top fitting closely against the body flangeand projecting beyond the edge thereof, and a removable sealing strip U-'shaped in cross sectionextending around the container with one wing between the body flange and the body of the container and the other Wing surrounding the flange ofthe top, the flanges and sealing strip being firmly pressed against the exterior face of the body of the container and the Wall being firllpl pressed In testimony fwhereof, I have signed my f* name to this specification.

HARRY SEBELL. 

